


Ghost of a Chance

by Kemara



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Haunted Houses, Haunting, Horror movie/book references, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Stephen King's The Shining references, Uses a version of Harry Potter magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-03 12:32:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16326311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kemara/pseuds/Kemara
Summary: From a Tumblr prompt by @writing-prompt-s: A single mom moves into a new apartment with her young son, only to find out it’s inhabited by a poltergeist. At first, she’s spooked but comes to realize that the poltergeist is helping to raise her son.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have a few other works in progress, but when I saw this prompt, I knew I had to write it. Just a note that the magic is HP-like...it's not exactly the same. It's just an innate talent some people are born with, and you can choose to ignore it or train it as you wish.
> 
> Chapters will be posted Wednesdays and Thursdays through Halloween. 
> 
> Thanks to @KatieHavok and @footprintsinthesandsworld for beta reading and encouragement. You can find me on Tumblr at @Kemara24 if you want to say hi.

"Queenie, are you sure?" Tina glanced in her rearview mirror to be certain the blue Roadway Moving truck was still following. _It’s too early for this._

Her three-year-old son Percy dozed in his car seat, worn out by the excitement of being woken before dawn. In one chubby hand, he clutched his favorite stuffed toy — a brightly colored parrot his father had sent from South America right before he’d been declared officially MIA and unofficially dead. That had been six, long months ago.  
  
"Of course." Even over the echoing speakerphone, Tina could hear her younger sister's exasperation. "You know how much he loves to help Jacob in the shop. We get to spoil him, he's out of your hair while you unpack."  
  
Tina sighed and gave up. "Thanks, Queenie. I appreciate it." She reached for her coffee and took a long sip.

She’d been awake since four to make a final sweep through their Chelsea apartment, ensuring everything was packed and ready for the move upstate. As she drove, the landscape had changed from city streets to trees and hills dotted with fall colors on this first day of October.  
  
Queenie’s voice was unapologetically awake. "No problem! Jake and I will be there in a few hours. And we're stocking your fridge — no arguing! See you in a bit!"  
  
She ended the call before Tina could think of a protest to make, not that it would've changed anything. Her sister was a cheerful force of nature who did exactly what she pleased. This move had been mostly her idea, but Tina had agreed, worn out with grief and worry.  
  
Turning down the final street lined with oak trees, their leaves blazing yellow and red in the rising sun, Tina felt some of her tension draining away. A new start was just what she and Percy needed — a chance to heal with the only family they had left.

*****

By the time Queenie and Jacob showed up around 10, the movers had left and Tina was knee-deep in open boxes while Percy watched from his old playpen. It couldn't keep him in if he wanted to get out, but for the moment he was too interested to try anything.

“Aunt Queenie! Unca Jacob!”  
  
"We have breakfast!" Queenie sang, balancing several cups of Starbucks coffee while Jacob came behind her with a plastic-covered tray.  
  
He set the tray on the bar that divided the apartment’s kitchen from the living room and scooped up Percy. "Hey, Sport! Having fun?" He turned the little boy upside down, making him shriek with laughter.  
  
"Here, white chocolate mocha with three pumps of raspberry." Queenie handed Tina one of the cups. "You look like you could use it." She hung her red beret and matching coat on the hooks by the door and fluffed up her golden curls. “We can stay for a while if you need a hand.”  
  
Tina took a drink and sighed. "Thanks. It's already been a long day." She poked at the tray curiously. "What's this?"  
  
"Bagels and lox," Queenie said, stepping into the kitchen. "This is pretty snazzy, Teen — stainless steel everything and a gas stove. I bet you’ll be doing a lot more cooking this winter.”    
  
Jacob came over with his nephew now upright in his arms. "I'm gonna get the rest of the groceries outta the car." He handed Percy to Queenie. "Hang on to our little escape artist."  
  
Tina took a bagel, delving into the box of kitchen utensils for some napkins. "Yeah, I guess I need to get a few more baby gates so he doesn’t get out into the road." She took a bite and gave a blissful moan. "Oh, that's good! I didn't realize how hungry I was."  
  
"What've I told you about skipping meals?" Queenie scolded lightly. "Perce, why don't you give me the tour?" She placed a smacking kiss on the toddler's cheek and he giggled. “You ready to sleep in a big boy bed tonight?”

He looked doubtful. “I dunno.”

Queenie smiled. “Well, why don’t we go take a look at your room and see if you like it, huh?”  
  
Tina had helped Jacob put away at least a week’s worth of groceries — "You didn't have to do all this!" — before the two of them returned to the living room.  
  
Queenie's face was paler than usual, her smile strained. "Wow, that bathroom's something else!" In her arms, Percy fidgeted, eager to get down and explore.    
  
Jacob and Tina exchanged knowing glances. "Percy, let’s go find the playground, huh? Let your mom and Aunt Queenie talk. Got a plate?" he asked Tina. She found a melamine one in the box and gave it to him. He scooped up two bagels and some napkins. “We can have breakfast while we’re out there.”  
  
"Come on!" When Queenie set him down, Percy took Jacob’s free hand and tugged him toward the door. He went, giving them a worried look as he did so.

As soon as they were alone, Tina rounded on Queenie. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing!" Queenie said with false brightness, hiding behind her chai latte.  
  
_Yeah, right, you never were very good at lying_. Tina folded her arms. "Come on, I know that look. Plus, you’re white as a sheet."  
  
Queenie sighed and set her cup down. "It's nothing....” She reached into the box and took out a set of measuring cups. “The master bedroom just felt a little….drafty, that's all." She lifted out the tray of cutlery. “Which drawer do you want these in?”

“Next to the fridge, I guess.” Tina frowned, used to her sister's odd sixth-sense about people and places. _If she feels a draft it’s not from poor construction._ "The landlord told me the place had been shut up for more than a year. And it does smell a little musty." She smiled, trying to cheer them both up. "Why don't you bring your incense when you come back tonight? That might help."  
  
Queenie shut the drawer and laughed, a bit shakily. "Maybe I will." She nibbled a piece of lox before she ventured, "How're you doin' Teen?”  
  
_I don’t want to talk about it._ "Fine." Tina busied herself taking the rest of Percy’s plates and cups from the box and stacking them on the counter.   
  
Now it was Queenie's turn to glare. "Don't you give me that, Porpentina Esther Graves!"  
  
Tina winced and put her hands over her ears. "Don't!" _Why couldn’t I be named something sensible, like Jane or Ruth?_  
  
"That what you get for having a dad who was an English professor. Now, spill it."  
  
"You got off lightly," Tina grumbled. "I'm okay, I guess. I’m...not looking forward to tonight.” She gestured at the impersonal beige walls and clutter of boxes. “I thought I was used to being alone, but this is different. It’s just two of us instead of three.” Her lip trembled no matter how much she tried to stop it. “Kinda makes it official now, you know?”  
  
Queenie's stern expression softened and she stepped over to hug Tina. "I told ya you two can stay with me and Jacob as long as you want. We've certainly got the room."  
  
"No." Tina leaned into the vanilla-scented embrace but shook her head. "I need to do this. I need to learn how to stand on my own two feet without Percival." She took a deep breath and gently freed herself from Queenie’s arms. "It won't be much different from how it was before. By the...the end, he was gone more than he was around anyway." She delved into the boxes again.  
  
"You still haven't heard anything from the FBI?"  
  
Tina straightened up and drank the last of her mocha. "No, and I don't expect to. Whatever he was working on was too classified for that. They said we're not in any danger, so unless they actually find his body....”  
  
Queenie wandered over to a box marked POTS AND PANS and reached for some scissors to cut the tape. "Well, I think this move will be a good thing! Give you and little Percy a fresh start."  
  
Hearing the echo of her own thoughts from earlier made Tina relax, and she smiled. "I think you're right."

*****

That evening, Queenie handed over a drowsy Percy already clad in the pajamas they kept as his aunt and uncle’s house, as well as a sandwich bag of the promised incense and a blue ceramic burner.

“Sage is good for cleansing,” Queenie whispered as Percy squirmed against Tina’s shoulder but didn’t really wake up.

“Hope it works. Thanks, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Tina carried Percy into his room — she’d made sure it was as similar to his old one as possible with the exception of a new twin bed instead of his old crib. She slid him between the Transformers-patterned sheets and kissed his forehead. “Night, night, Pumpkin.”

His eyes fluttered. “Night, Mommy,” and he was asleep before she reached the door.

She turned the desk lamp on low and paused to smile at a photo of the three of them that stood beside it, the glass smudged by the prints of small fingers. _Percy’s handled everything amazingly well so far. Thank God he’s more like Percival than me. I’ve been a total mess._

Tina found a bottle of merlot in the kitchen and poured a glass with a feeling of profound relief. And maybe this will help me sleep tonight She carried it into the living room which now looked much more like home with familiar photos and artwork on the walls and rugs on the floor.

The baggie of incense sat on the bar where she’d left it. She fished out one of the small cones, inhaling the clean scent and fetched a lighter from the kitchen drawer.

As the fragrant smoke began to drift, Tina picked up a photo from the side table. It showed the three of them on a rare family vacation to the shore when Percy was about two. She and Percival were laughing and swinging the little boy between them above an incoming wave.

“I miss you,” she whispered, touching Percival’s face. “I don’t know if I can do this alone.” She smiled wistfully. “Even when we had different schedules, I knew I could text you, or you’d text me. Even though it’s been six months, I still forget and pick up the phone to tell you about my day or something Percy did. I know you’re gone, but I just wish the government would admit it.”

Behind her, something clattered, making her jump and nearly drop her glass. She set it down and stepped back into the kitchen, looking around for the source of the noise.

Her favorite mug, the one Percy had given her last Christmas with “World’s Best Mom” emblazoned on it in bright pink letters, lay on the floor, miraculously unbroken. Tina froze, looking back and forth from the mug to the spot where it had previously rested beside the coffeemaker, a chill going down her spine.

“I’m imagining things,” she said out loud. “And it’s been a long damn day. I’m going to bed.” She set the mug back in its place — _Nothing around to knock it over. That’s odd_ — and returned to the living room.

The incense had gone out. “Huh.” With a slightly shaking hand, she relit it and finished her wine in three swallows.

She carried the burner into the master bedroom, placing it on the dresser as she changed into a nightgown and climbed into bed, glad she’d taken an early shower. As she pulled up the quilt, the white tendril of smoke stopped as if snuffed out by an invisible hand.

“Just a draft, like Queenie said,” she mumbled and buried her face in the pillow.

Deep in the night, she woke from a dream of Percival. It had been more of a memory really — a lazy weekend when Queenie and Jacob had taken Percy so they could have time to themselves. They’d spent most of it in bed.

Now, still in the grip of the dream, she reached out, expecting to feel warm skin but there was only the cold, empty mattress. Defeated, she curled into a ball and let the tears, which she’d been holding back all day, finally come _. I miss you. I miss you so much. I can’t do this by myself._

As she drifted into an exhausted sleep, she could’ve sworn she felt a hand brush her hair back from her forehead.

“Percival?” She squinted into the darkness through swollen eyes, and for one brief instant thought she could make out a man’s silhouette by the door, taller and thinner than Percival. When she blinked, it vanished. _Just a dream or wishful thinking._


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning as she stumbled into the living room with Percy scampering ahead, Tina noticed the beach photo on the floor. When she picked the frame up, she saw that the shattered glass had torn the picture beneath. 

“Oh, no….” She felt tears prickle at her eyes and blinked hard to keep them from falling. _I don’t have another copy._ _How did it fall over anyway?_

“What that?” Percy tugged on the sleeve of her robe.

She carefully peeled the photo away from the glass and crouched so he could see it.

“Daddy!” he crowed, reaching for it eagerly.

_ Might as well let him have it.  _ Tina smiled, trying not to show how upset she was. “Yeah, that’s Daddy. But we need to put it back together like one of your puzzles. Can you help Mommy fix it?” 

He nodded, the dark brown hair he’d inherited from both her and Percival flopping into his equally dark eyes. 

“Okay. Let’s see what we can do.” Scooping him up, Tina found some scotch tape in what she had decided to call the kitchen junk drawer. She let Percy very messily put the photo back together and cut down a sheet protector which she slipped the picture into before taping it shut. “Okay, it’s all yours.” 

“Yay!” He clutched it to his chest and ran into the living room where most of his toys were scattered.

Tina put a coffee pod into the brewer and turned her mug around while she waited _. I guess we could’ve had an earthquake last night? _ Shaking her head, she reached into the refrigerator for the French vanilla creamer. “Nothing makes sense before 9 am anyway.”

After a breakfast of waffles and fruit, she and Percy toured the apartment complex, finding the mailboxes, garbage disposal, gym, and pool. She’d chosen it over places closer to Queenie and Jacob because there were a number of other families with young children. _ They’ll be giving Percy a cousin soon enough _ , she thought with a smile as she tugged the little boy away from the locked gate where the blue water beckoned enticingly. “I bet that water’s cold, Perce. You wouldn’t like it.”  

In the city, Tina had felt out of place among the upper-class mothers in their building with nannies and packed schedules. She’d left Percy with a sitter when she’d gone back to her job as a police dispatcher, and hated every minute of it. When a transfer opportunity had opened up, she’d jumped at the chance. 

At the playground, which boasted animal-themed slides, tunnels, and swings, they met a woman named Seraphina Picquery — “Call me Sera” — and her daughter, Cassie, who was a little older than Percy. 

They chatted about their lives (Sera was a single mom only a little older than her, Tina was pleased to learn) and watched the children take turns on the slide in the autumn sunshine. 

At last, as though she had been waiting for an opportunity to bring it up, Sera said, “You’re in 217. I hope you stay longer than the last people. I don’t think they were here a month; they broke their lease they were in such a hurry to leave.” 

“What happened?” Tina kept her eyes on Percy. She knew from bitter experience that he could move very quickly when he saw something interesting. Back in Chelsea, he’d slipped out of their apartment more than once while she and Percival carried in the groceries. 

Sera shrugged, making her long braids swing. “No idea. They had twin girls, but I only saw them once. Abernathy in the leasing office would probably know — he handles that sort of thing. After they left, he couldn’t get anyone else to even consider the place. Janice Stone said she overheard one family talking about how creepy it felt.”

“It feels fine to me,” Tina said, but she was struck by a sudden vision of a man’s silhouette in her bedroom doorway, and memory of a phantom hand on her cheek.  _ There are no such things as ghosts, Tina!  _ With an effort, she forced her attention back to the children and Sera’s talk about the local preschool. 

Abernathy himself waylaid Tina as she and Percy were heading back to their apartment for lunch. 

“Mrs. Graves! Settling in well, I hope?” The property manager stood several inches shorter than Tina with a receding hairline and a nervous manner. 

“I think so — wait Percy — but I was just talking to Mrs. Picquery. She said the family who lived in 217 before us broke their lease. I wondered if there’s a problem I should be aware of?” 

His smile faltered, and she caught a flash of panic before he controlled it. “You mean the Terrence family? I believe Mr. Terrence lost his job rather unexpectedly. But as far as I’m aware there were no problems with the apartment itself. We always have a thorough maintenance inspection before we advertise the property available for rent again.” 

_ You’re lying. _ “Well, that’s a relief!” Tina forced a smile. “We really like the place so far, especially the playground — don’t we Percy?” 

He nodded shyly, holding tightly to her hand for once. The wind had whipped color into his pale cheeks. “Uh-huh. I like the fish slide!” 

Abernathy beamed with relief. “Wonderful! Well, if you need anything, just ask!” He scurried away before they could say anything else. 

After a lunch of peanut butter sandwiches and milk, Tina put an unprotesting Percy down for his nap and called Queenie.  

“How’s your first day been?” 

Tina sank down on the couch. “Pretty good, except I think something’s wrong with the floors. And you were right about a draft. The incense went out no matter where I put it, but that can be explained better than the other weird things.” She told Queenie about the mug and photos. 

Queenie listened with unaccustomed seriousness. “Did Percy ever act upset?” 

“No. He’s been fine all day. He played nicely with a neighbor girl we met. He didn’t even fuss when I put him down for his nap and that’s a minor miracle!” Tina laughed.

To her surprise, Queenie didn’t join in. “Hmm…I was wonderin’...Percy’s about at the age where kids start showing magical ability if they have it.” 

Tina sucked in a breath. “I didn’t even think of that! But why would it show up that way? He loved Percival.” Her throat closed up and she forced herself to stay calm. “They were really close. Why tear up his photo?” 

A gust of cold air brushed past her.  _ Where did that come from _ ? Shivering, and not entirely from the chill, she pulled the navy chenille blanket from the back of the couch and tucked her legs up under it.

“I don’t know if that’s it for sure,” Queenie said, sounding apologetic. “But it makes sense if you think about it. That mug is the one he gave you, right? And the photos show the three of you together. All Percy knows is that his daddy left one day and didn’t come home. And now you’ve taken him to a new place and there’s no sign of daddy.”

“And he doesn’t know why,” Tina finished, dully. _ I’m such an idiot. _ “God, I had no idea. I mean, he’s so little I figured he couldn’t understand. No wonder he’s mad at us both.” 

Queenie’s voice was warm in her ear. “What did you tell him, Teen?” 

Tina wiped at her eyes with a corner of the blanket. “For a while, I said Percival was on a trip. And that was true. We were still getting emails and he sent toys for Percy. Then, we didn’t hear anything, and I just told him daddy was really busy, but still….still thinking about us.” She took a shuddering breath. “The last time he asked I told him Percival probably couldn’t come back to us, but he wanted to, very much.” 

“And was that right before you moved up here?” 

_ I thought he was coping so well, didn’t I? _ Tina thought bitterly. “Yeah. Yeah, it was while I was packing up the apartment,” she said. “He had a tantrum — the first in months and cried himself to sleep that night. I bet you’re right that all this is just his magic acting out.” 

“I guess you could have a poltergeist,” Queenie teased, trying to lighten both their moods. “But I bet after Percy gets used to the new place things will quiet down. Oh! Did I tell you about….?” 

They talked about Jacob and Queenie’s latest ideas for their bakery, Tina’s new job which would be starting next Monday, and arrangements for his aunt and uncle to keep Percy while Tina worked. After they had been through so much she had decided to wait another year for him to start preschool. 

Noises from the baby monitor told Tina the little boy was awake. “I’ve got to go — Percy just woke up from his nap.” _ Hope he’s not too cranky.  _

“Okay! So we’re still on for shopping tomorrow?” 

“Yep, we’ll be at your place around 8:30,” Tina promised, untangling herself from the blanket and standing up. 

Queenie was quiet for a minute. “Teenie?” 

“Yeah?” Queenie didn’t often use her childhood nickname. 

“Do you still have your wand?” 

_ Say what? _ Tina froze halfway through the living room doorway, startled. “Yeah, it’s somewhere around — probably still in a box. Why?” 

“No reason! I just wondered. Well, I’ll see you and Percy in the morning!” 

Unnerved, Tina ended the call. As she slid the phone into her pocket, she heard muffled sobbing coming from the little boy’s room. “Percy?” 

He lay on his new bed in a litter of stuffed animals and picture books, his face muffled in the pillow as he cried. 

“Oh, honey…”

As she hurried over to him, a sharp pain stabbed through the bottom of her foot.  _ Ow! What the heck?  _ Belatedly, she realized the floor was covered with shards of broken glass from a shattered picture frame. 

Ignoring it, she sat down on the bed and gathered Percy into her arms. “What’s wrong, Perce? Did you have a bad dream?” _ Please don’t let it have been about Percival. _

He nodded, snuggling close to her. “Daddy….” 

_ Oh no. _ Tina’s heart sank, and she berated herself for not realizing how much his father’s disappearance had traumatized her son. “Did you have a dream about Daddy?” 

He hiccuped and nodded. “Daddy ghost.” 

“You….you saw Daddy’s ghost?” Again, she remembered the figure in the doorway.  _ But that was just a dream. Wasn’t it? I just dreamed someone touched my face.  _

“Uh-huh.” A wet snuffle. 

Tina rocked him and hoped her next words were the right ones. “You know Daddy loved us both very much. It sounds like he wanted to make sure you’re happy and safe here.”  

He nodded, finally beginning to calm. “I like the playground.” 

“I do too! Why don’t we get you a snack and we’ll go back out there? We should get as much sunshine as we can before it gets cold, shouldn’t we?”

“Yes!” He squirmed to get down from her lap.

She stood awkwardly and lifted him to her shoulder. “Let me carry you, there’s glass on the floor and I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” 

When he was safely in his high chair in the kitchen with a plate of Queenie’s chocolate chip cookies and a cup of milk, Tina limped down the hall to the bathroom trying to put as little weight as possible on her right foot. 

She sat down on the side of the tub and examined the injury. Luckily, the piece of glass was small and not deeply embedded. She pulled it out, wincing at the pain, and found a couple of butterfly bandages in the first aid kit under the sink. 

As she stood and tested her weight, the bathroom door slammed shut, nearly hitting her. She jumped, and felt her heart racing. “Just a draft. It’s just a draft.” 

Back in Percy’s room, she used a dustpan and whisk broom to clean up every speck of glass.  _ That’s two broken pictures in one day.  _ It was the last photo she had of them before Percival had left for South America. It too, had been torn into several pieces.  _ Looks like someone ripped it.  _ She pushed the idea firmly away. 

That done, Tina rooted through the cartons she’d shoved into the master bedroom closet the day before until she found the one marked MISC.

On top was a long wooden box. With shaking hands, she sat down on the bed and opened it. In the light from the lamp, the rosewood gleamed as if it had been recently oiled, the wand sleek and unadorned.  _ How long has it been? Five years? Six?  _ As she took it out, warmth flared in her cold fingers. She thought back to summer lessons sitting beside Aunt Esther learning magic when she’d really wanted to be outside playing. 

Carefully, she raised the wand and gestured. “Lumos.” Light flared at the tip, and she sighed in relief. “Still got it. Guess it’s like riding a bike - you don’t forget.” 

The first thing she saw when she returned to the kitchen was a glass of water and two aspirin set out on the counter.  _ What the hell?  _ Her breath froze in her throat and she raised the wand defensively. But aside from Percy, the room and living room beyond appeared empty. 

It was crazy, but she had to ask. “Percy, did you put this here?” She held up the water, and he shook his head, face smeared with chocolate from ear to ear. “Look at you….you’re going to need a bath tonight.” 

Suddenly exhausted, she picked up the pills and examined them closely. Aspirin, probably from the bottle in the cupboard. The liquid in the glass had no smell. She took a cautious sip: ice-cold water from the filtered jug in the refrigerator. Queenie had warned her that the tap water tasted awful here. 

She tossed back the pills and took several swallows of water. _ I don’t think a three-year-old’s magic could handle that. When Queenie was three, she just levitated her stuffed bear a couple of inches.  _ That left a ghost — the spector she and Percy had both seen (dreamed?) about.  _ I don’t believe for a second that Percival’s spirit would go around tearing up family photos. But if it’s so angry why did it try to help me?  _

“Umm….thanks,” she said, feeling foolish talking to the air. “But I wouldn’t need them if you hadn’t broken the glass in the first place.” 

A blast of furious wind slammed Tina back against the refrigerator. She cried out as the point of the magnetic can and bottle opener dug into her upper arm. In the living room, a tremendous crash shook the entire apartment. Percy shrieked in surprise and knocked his cup of milk to the floor. 

_ What now?  _ Tina ignored the pain in her arm and darted into the living room while gripping her wand tightly. Every family photograph was on the floor, glass shattered. The other artwork vibrated audibly on the walls. A small painting leaped off its nail and flew toward her as if thrown; she ducked just in time.  

“Stop it!” At her shout, there was total silence except for Percy’s terrified sobbing. Stepping back so she could see both him and the living room, Tina waved her wand. “Revelio.” Nothing.

With a sigh, she tucked the length of wood awkwardly into her waistband for lack of anywhere else to put it, and lifted Percy from his high chair. He locked his arms tightly around her neck and she could feel him shaking. “Shh...It’s okay. It’s over now. Hush….” She rocked, pressing his head against her shoulder. Her injured arm throbbed, and she could feel blood wetting her sleeve.

On the counter, her mug slid, as if moved by an invisible hand, toward the edge. “Stop it,” she hissed again. “I know you’re angry, but he’s  _ a child _ and you’re  _ scaring  _ him!”

Very slowly, the mug returned to its original place. 

“Thank you.” She pressed a kiss to the top of Percy’s head. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you cleaned up and then we’ll go out to the playground, okay?”  _ Control, Tina. Stay calm.  _

He sniffled and gave a tiny nod as he began to calm for the second time in less than an hour.

“Good.” Adjusting him so she could hold her wand — just in case — she carried him to the bathroom. _ I think I need to dig out my old spell books and keep the first-aid kit handy.  _

That evening, after a story had put Percy to sleep, Tina hesitated beside his bed. She wanted a shower of her own, but his safety came first. _ How do I defend against something we can’t even see? What if it hurts him all because I was too proud to get him out in time?  _

“Maybe if I’m really quick,” she muttered. She carried the speaker of the baby monitor into the bathroom and put it where she would be able to hear any noises even over the sound of the water. Her wand lay beside it within easy reach. She stripped off and stepped under the hot spray, sighing as her tight muscles relaxed. Despite the temptation to stay there all night, she hurried. 

“If this is what the Terrence family went through, no wonder they left.” She pulled open the curtain and reached for a dark blue towel from the rack. She wrapped it around herself and took another for her hair. 

As she stepped out of the tub, she caught sight of the steamed up mirror over the sink. Scrawled on it were two words: GET OUT.

“Fuck you!” Tina snarled over the pounding of her heart. “We’re not going anywhere.” 


	3. Chapter 3

“Queenie, I’m telling you, this ghost, poltergeist — whatever it is — it’s a menace,” Tina struggled to keep her voice down so the other people in the mall food court couldn’t overhear. Her roast beef sandwich and fries sat forgotten.

Queenie frowned and took a bite of her salad. “I’m sure it has a reason for wanting you to leave. You said the apartment was shut up for a year, and before that, it ran another family off. That means it’s been around for a while.” She hummed around her fork. “I wonder if it would be possible to communicate with it. That would be fascinating!”

“Don’t you start!” Tina rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to talk to it — I just want it gone.” She leaned over and wiped some ketchup off Percy’s chin. The little boy had recovered from his scare of the day before and was devoting all his attention to his chicken nuggets.

“As far as it’s concerned you’re the invader, not the other way around,” Queenie said far too cheerfully.

Tina waved a hand. “Whatever. It’s dangerous. I could hardly sleep last night for worrying that it might do something to Percy.”

“It hasn’t hurt either of you yet,”

_Whose side are you on?_ “What about my foot? And it threw a picture frame at me!”

Now it was Queenie’s turn to roll her eyes. “It can’t help you weren’t watching where you walked. And you said you ducked.”

“And spying on me in the shower?” Tina shivered. “Gave me the creeps.”

For the first time Queenie looked unnerved  “Yeah, that was a bit much. Okay, I’ll do some reading tonight. See if I can figure out how to talk to it or at least make it visible.”

Tina lowered her voice even more. “I tried that. Revelio didn’t work.”

“Maybe it's different with spirits. Anyway, just...be nice to it.”

“Nice?” Tina stared. “It acted like a peeping Tom and threw things at my head!”

Queenie huffed. “Well, if you're nice to it, it might be nice back. Can’t hurt to try, anyway.”

“He did leave me some meds after I hurt my foot….” _So maybe he — it — isn’t all bad._

“He?” Queenie snickered. “What makes you think it's male?”

_Damn, I shouldn’t have said that._ Tina flushed and busied herself with cleaning up the mess Percy had made. “It just….feels….like a guy: throwing things, spying like that. A woman would be more...bitchy?” She mouthed the last word so Percy wouldn’t hear.

“Hmm...you got a point.” Queenie leaned forward and squeezed Tina’s hand. “I’m not saying it ain’t dangerous, Teen. But there’s usually a reason a ghost hangs around. If we can work that out, it might move on.”

Tina nodded. “Percy said it was Percival — he called it Daddy Ghost — but I don’t think so.” _Percival wouldn’t try to scare us_.

Queenie’s eyes sparkled with interest. “That’s an idea! Like I said, kids are sensitive to this stuff. If it talks to him, that’s a big deal. Hey, Percy did Daddy Ghost talk to you yesterday?”

“Yes,” the little boy dunked another nugget in his pool of ketchup.

Tina and Queenie looked at each other. “He….he did?” Tina ventured. “What did he say?” _Should we leave? But where would we go? Guess we could move in with Jacob and Queenie if we have to._

“He told me not to cry. And not to be scared.”

“Oh.” Queenie’s smile faltered. “That’s good then, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s great,” Tina agreed. _Don’t let him see you’re upset._ “I guess it really is a ghost then,” she whispered to Queenie. _And what the hell are we supposed to do now?_

Her sister nodded. “I’ll start researching as soon as I get home.”

That evening, Tina waited until Percy was playing quietly in the living room — with the baby gates in place — before she stepped into the kitchen and addressed the apparently empty air. _Here goes everything._

“Hello? Um….I want to talk to you.” She looked around for inspiration, and her gaze fell on her coffee cup. “Would you mind moving my mug if you can hear me?” _Be nice to it, Queenie said. I can do that. I think._

For a long moment nothing happened, then the mug slid a grudging inch to the right and back again.

Tina sighed. “Oh good! Well...My name is Tina and my son is Percy. I was telling my sister about you today — she’s a witch. I mean, I am too but she’s the one who’s into it. Anyway, she thinks — hopes — we might be able to help you. She was going to start looking into it today, so….” She made her voice bright and cheerful. “The three of us just need to get along until then.”

The mug jerked from side to side so quickly it was a blur.

_Oh crap._ Tina took a hasty step back and tried to figure out what part of her speech had angered it. “I don’t mean we’re going to make you leave!” she said, holding up both hands in a placating gesture. “We’re not going to find a priest to do an exorcism or anything like that. We just….want to talk to you.” The mug stopped its frenetic motion. “Has....no one ever tried that?” _Could it be so simple?_

Slowly, the mug moved across the counter, and Tina realized it was tracing the shapes of two letters: NO.

“I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath. “I bet you’re lonely. I know what that’s like. My husband disappeared six months ago while working for the FBI. They’re pretty sure he’s dead.” She gave a shaky laugh and wiped her eyes. “But I guess you know that already since you’ve been hanging around us.” _Listen to me, pouring out my feelings to a ghost of all things. Queenie’s rubbing off on me at last._

YES, the mug spelled.

“Anyway, I know Queenie was really interested to hear about you. I bet she’ll be up all night researching. Do you think you could maybe not break anything else until we hear from her?” _Please say yes._

This time the silence stretched so long, Tina grew worried. _And what’re you gonna do if he refuses, Tina? Should’ve thought about that._ She could see Percy still playing happily, so she waited as patiently as she could.

At last, the mug again spelled out YES.

“And no spying on me in the shower!” she added quickly. “That’s just messed up, OK? Even if you are dead.”  


It was probably her imagination, but Tina thought she heard a faint chuckle. “Thanks. I’m glad we understand each other.”

*****

The next few days were some of the oddest in Tina’s life so far, as she told Queenie on Friday.

“Seriously. This week has been crazier than the time Aunt Esther turned her cat into a giant hog by accident. Remember how it kept trying to get up on her bed?”

Queenie laughed merrily. “How could I forget? So you’re having fun then?”

“I wouldn’t call it fun….” Tina glanced over her shoulder quickly to make sure no one — like Seraphina or Abernathy — was nearby. She and Percy were out on the playground. Tina was pretty sure her resident ghost couldn’t come this far, and she didn’t want to be rude by talking about him where he might overhear. And that was the crazy part.

“I never know exactly where he is, for one thing,” she told Queenie. “I got him to agree not to spy on me in the shower, but how do I know he’s not in my bedroom watching me get dressed?”

“Well, he’s dead so it’s not like he can do anything about it, even if he is,” Queenie pointed out with maddening logic. “Besides that, has he actually done anything now that you’ve talked?”

Percy waved from where he was playing in the sandbox and Tina waved back.

“He talks to Percy more than me, to be honest. I mean, I think he really has conversations. I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and Percy was chattering away. I peeked in his room and he was lying on his bed with one of his picture books — you know, that one about dogs he likes so much — and the pages were turning by themselves. Or I guess the ghost was doing it.”

“Aww….” Queenie cooed. “That’s really sweet! I’m glad Percy seems to be safe with him.”

Tina shivered. “Safe or not, it’s still creepy. Have you figured anything out yet?”

“I think so. I just need to check one more book, and then I’ll be over tonight if that’s okay?”

“Sure. Since I start work on Monday, I’d like to have something set up. So what do you have in mind?”

Queenie’s voice was full of excitement and Tina could picture her pacing around the room in an excess of energy. “I have an idea to make talking to him easier than moving a coffee cup around for starters. But I think maybe we can —.” She hesitated as if unsure how Tina would react to her next words.

“What?” Tina knew from bitter experience that Queenie’s enthusiastic experiments with spells and potions, however well-intentioned, didn’t always work out. To this day, Tina hadn’t quite forgiven her sister for the bright pink hair she’d been left with for a week in high school. Queenie’s assurances that she’d been, “in style for the first time in your life, Teen!” hadn’t helped.

“Well….” Queenie drawled; she clearly enjoyed stringing Tina along. “I think….No, I’ll wait and tell both of you tonight.”

Tina snorted. “There is no ‘both of us’! It’s just me and Percy and the ghost of some guy.” _That's a good idea for a sitcom, actually. Maybe a modern version of “Three’s Company.”_

“Sounds like a happy family to me!” Queenie giggled. “Yeah, it’ll be better if I tell you in person anyway. It’s kinda hard to explain over the phone.”

*****

Tina eyed Queenie’s overflowing Ilvermorny Magic Supplies bag warily. “I didn’t realize this would be such a production.” _Trust Queenie to go all out where magic is concerned. She loves the hocus-pocus of it all._

Queenie set the bag on a kitchen chair with a thump. “Oh, it’s not much really. Just a few things we need.” She took out several purple candles of varying sizes and arranged them on the table. “You don’t have any candles at all, Teen?” she asked, looking deeply disappointed at Tina’s plain living room decor.

“Not with a three-year-old around.” Tina glanced over to where Percy was watching “Finding Nemo.” It was his favorite movie, but the sharks always scared him. _Still time before I need to fast-forward through that part._

“Well, we’ll make sure he can’t get to them.” Queenie lit the candles with an efficient “Incendio,” and Tina felt a familiar twinge of jealousy. She’d been trying to use her own wand more this week than she had in years, but she lacked Queenie’s instinctive grace.

Making a face, Queenie hauled out a huge book bound in worn brown leather and dropped it on the table between two of the candles with a resounding thump.

“What’s this?” Tina opened the cover and turned a few of the crackling parchment pages squinting at the unfamiliar runes that covered some of them. “The Handbook for the Recently Deceased?” _So does this mean I’m Lydia now?_

Queenie laughed. “You always loved that movie. No, but it might tell us how to help your friend.” She ignored Tina’s mutter of, “He’s not my friend,” and said to the air, “Hello! I’m Queenie, by the way. I think I’ve got part of the answer to your problems right here.” She pulled a long cardboard box from the bag’s seemingly endless depths.

“Queenie!” _I knew it! I knew she wasn’t taking this seriously!_

Percy looked over at them, and Tina lowered her voice. “An Ouija board, Queenie?”

“Why not?” Queenie pouted. “He’s a spirit, right? It’s got all the letters and numbers, plus yes and no. Easy, peasy!”

Tina sighed and rubbed at a headache starting in her left temple. “Couldn’t we just…”

“It’s the aesthetic of the thing,” Queenie said stubbornly. “Where’s your sense of fun?”

Tina removed the lid from the box and took out the board and triangle-shaped planchette. “It kinda disappeared when I moved in with a ghost. Okay, let’s get this seance started.”

Queenie clapped her hands. “Oooh, I like that! It _is_ a seance since we’re talkin’ with a ghost. We really need some incense…..” She caught Tina’s eye and sighed. “Spoilsport.”

She waved Tina to a chair and sat down across from her. “Let’s start with the basics.” She addressed the ghost. “Can you hear us?”

Quickly the planchette slid on its felt-bottomed legs to stop above YES.

“Awesome! Um…can you tell us your name; we need to know that.”

The marker moved away from YES and back. They waited but it stayed still.

Tina sighed. “ _Would_ you tell it to us? Please,” she added glancing at Queenie who nodded encouragingly.

This time, the planchette picked out four letters: N-E-W-T.

“Newt? That’s your name?” Queenie took a notebook and pen from her purse and scribbled something down. “This is fascinating….”

Tina leaned forward. “Why do you keep trying to scare people away?”

They watched as the ghost — Newt, Tina reminded herself — spelled out, I LIVE HERE.

“I hate to tell you this, Honey,” Queenie said gently, “But you’re not —.”

The planchette shot across the board and off the table, landing on the floor with a clatter.

Tina jumped up. “What the heck?” Percy whimpered, clutching his parrot tightly and she realized she’d forgotten the movie. Before she could reach for the remote, Queenie stopped her.

“Wait a sec…”

Tina shook her off. “He doesn’t like this part. I need to —.”

“No. _Look_ at them.”

Tina took a few steps closer to where Percy sat on the corner of the couch. He wasn’t on the verge of tears anymore even though the “scary sharks” were still on screen.

As she watched, his hair ruffled as though someone was running ghostly fingers through it. Percival had done the exact same thing when the little boy woke from a nightmare and the memory made Tina’s heart constrict.

“I think Newt’s sitting next to him,” Queenie whispered, joining her. “See how Percy’s leaning?” She frowned as though listening hard. “I can almost hear him talking…..”

Tina shook her head, feeling unaccountably left out. “I don’t hear anything.”

But it was clear that something — or someone — was calming Percy down. Unlike Queenie, he seemed to have no trouble hearing Newt. He nodded and giggled and snuggled closer to the unseen presence by his side.

“Percy?” Tina approached carefully, not wanting to invade Newt’s personal space. _Do ghosts have such things if they don’t have corporeal bodies?_ “Are you okay?”

He straightened and Tina felt the air displace as if someone had walked past her. The planchette rose into the air and returned to the board. “Uh-huh. Daddy Ghost said sharks aren’t scary.”

“They aren’t? That’s good, isn’t it?” She ruffled his hair. “We’ll get you some books on sharks next time we go to the bookstore, okay?”

“Okay!” He returned his attention to the movie as if nothing had happened.

Tina sank back into her chair and Queenie fetched her a glass of water. “Here. You see? He’s not dangerous.”

_Maybe not._ She took a swallow and set the glass down before addressing the air. “Newt? Thank you. That part always upsets him, but he loves the rest of it. I just wasn’t watching….”

Newt slowly spelled out, NO BIG DEAL.

“Well, thanks anyway. So, now that we’re talking to him, what was your big idea you couldn’t tell me over the phone?” she asked Queenie who had watched this exchange with a rather shark-like grin of her own.

Queenie patted the huge book. “I think we can, or you can since you’d cast the spell, make Newt human again.” She broke into uncontrollable giggles.

Tina snickered and fought the urge to hum the lyrics. _And we haven’t even had any wine yet._ “Are you serious, Queen?”

“Yeah.” Queenie wiped at her eyes and opened the book. “I need to do a smidge more research, but I’m pretty sure that if you do the ritual on Halloween it would work.”

“We’d bring him back from the dead, you mean?” _Not sure that’s a good idea. In all the books and movies it never ends well. I think this is gonna ruin horror movies for me._

Queenie bit her lip. “Um….it’s a bit more technical than that, but basically, right now he’s sort of in between? He’s not living, but he’s not exactly dead either. So this would sort of give him a second chance.” She looked down at the board.

“If he wants it. Do you want that Newt?” Tina considered the planchette which was quivering slightly. “Or do you just want us to go away and leave you in peace?”

Before she finished speaking, the triangle zipped over to YES. Then away, then back again.

“I think he’s all for it!” Queenie chirped. “So I’ll get right on it and you guys just need to stick it out for a few more weeks. I’m sure it won’t be hard after — how long _has_ it been?” she asked Newt.

15 YEARS, the ghost spelled out slowly. I THINK. TIME IS DIFFICULT LIKE THIS.

Tina sighed. “Okay. I guess we can deal with it for a while longer.” She gave the board a disgusted look. “But I still say this way of talking is stupid.”

The sisters watched as Newt said, ACTUALLY IT’S SORT OF FUN.


	4. Chapter 4

After Queenie left, Tina ventured, “Newt, do you want to help me put Percy to bed?”

The planchette moved to YES.

“I can’t carry this board around everywhere.” She considered for a minute and reached for a pocket-sized notebook and a pen from her desk. She held them up. “I’m guessing you can use these?”

Newt spelled, IT'S BORING before the two items were gently pulled from her grasp and laid on the table. The pen wrote in a slightly messy hand, “But if you insist.”

Tina couldn’t help smiling. “Thanks. Oh, I guess I should warn you that Percy’s a runner. He hasn’t done it since we’ve moved here, but I’m not taking any chances.”

The pen made a careful frowny face. “Thanks for telling me. I can’t leave the apartment, but I can move faster than you.”

“Good to know.” Tina reached for the remote and turned off the TV. “Come on, Perce. Time for bed.”

“No!” But he was already yawning and didn’t fight when she helped him down from the couch.

After everything that had already happened, Tina knew she shouldn’t be surprised at how easy it was to interact with a ghost, but she was. Newt ran the bath water while she got Percy undressed, and the two played and splashed until Tina called a halt — over their verbal and non-verbal protests.

Newt passed her a towel and had Percy’s bed turned down when they came in. Tina dressed Percy in his pajamas and pulled the covers up to his chin.

“Do you want Daddy Ghost to read you a story?” _This is going pretty good so far_

“Yes!” Percy crowed, reaching for “Where the Wild Things Are” which was his current favorite.

“Yes, what?” Tina prompted.

Percy focused on the empty space beside her. “Please, Daddy?”

Tina’s breath caught and she turned away quickly, shocked at how much it hurt to hear Percy call someone else “Daddy,” especially someone he barely knew. _Is he really forgetting Percival so quickly?_ When she turned back, Percy was watching avidly as the book’s pages slowly turned by an unseen hand.

When he was asleep, she kissed his forehead and whispered. “Newt? Would you come in the living room so we can talk?”

She sat down on the couch and laid the notepad and pen on the cushion beside her. “You’re really good with him. Did you have kids too?” _Fifteen years isn’t that long. If he still has family…._

“No,” Newt wrote. Anticipating her next question, he added, “I was married, but my wife died.”

“I’m sorry,” Tina said. “I guess I should be worried that you’ve got some horrible past and you might kill us both, but if you haven’t yet —.”

“I won’t,” Newt wrote. “You have my word, Tina. For whatever it’s worth from a dead man.”

_Aww, that’s really sweet._ Touched, Tina felt herself blushing. “What’s your full name, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Newton Artemis Fido Scamander. Yes, I know. Laugh if you want.”

She did giggle. “It’s almost as bad as Porpentina.”

“A porcupine suits you.”

“Thanks a lot!” For the second time, she caught the faint hint of a man’s laughter.

“Why can’t I see or hear you like Percy can? And Queenie could kind of hear you.”

Newt turned a page. “You did see me that first night,” he pointed out. “But it depends. Some people are more sensitive — like children. And some people have to be in the right,” the pen hesitated over the paper as if he was searching for the words. “Frame of mind.”

Tina gave a rueful grin. “Queenie’s always telling me I’m too practical.”

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

She barely covered a yawn with her hand. “Maybe not. Well, I think I’m going to turn in. Goodnight Newt. It was...nice to meet you.”

“Goodnight, Tina.”

*****

Percy cried for Daddy Ghost the next morning as Tina bundled him into the car. Only when Jacob tempted him with a pastry shaped like a dog did he calm down and kiss her goodbye. Tina blinked back tears as she watched Jacob lead him to the area of the kitchen that had been partitioned off with baby gates so he could play safely. _He’s growing up so fast._

“I think Newt was almost as upset as Perce,” she told Queenie, accepting a cup of coffee for the road. “It’s amazing how quickly they’ve bonded.”

Queenie fussed over Tina’s uniform the way she had over her sister’s school clothes, straightening her tie and making sure her cuffs were even. “I’m so glad. There! You look great! Good luck!”

After that, it got easier for all of them. Newt would start the coffee when Tina got up, and he played with Percy and read to him when they put him to bed. His interactions with Tina went less smoothly. After she’d been back at work for a week, she came home to find that Newt had tried to help out by doing the laundry. She stared with dismay at the blue-tinged clothes and (remembering the thrown picture frames) tried to thank Newt as honestly as possible. He wasn’t fooled.

“I was just trying to help,” he wrote, the small, cramped letters so different from his usual exuberant scrawl.

Tina hurried to reassure him. “Newt, it’s fine, honestly. Most of them were Percy’s play clothes or my underthings.” She gulped at the thought that he’d seen her panties and bras and pressed on. “It’s no big deal.”

They hashed out a division of labor. Tina would handle the laundry and the cooking. Newt could tidy up during the day and help with Percy if he wanted, but Tina made sure he understood it was his choice.

“This was your home before it was ours,” she said one night after Percy was asleep. It had become their habit to sit in the living room and talk or watch a movie together. “If anything, we’re your guests.” She took a sip of her wine and sighed.

“Long day?”

Tina shook her head, rubbing at the back of her neck where an ache persisted. “Just stressful. I had a call from a guy threatening suicide. He wanted to do it, but he wanted to be talked down, too. I kept him talking until the crisis intervention people got there. He’ll make it. He’s lucky: he has a family who cares about him.”

As she watched, Newt wrote one word and underlined it three times, the letters etched deeply into the paper. “Good.”

Again the question hovered on the tip of her tongue, begging to be spoken. _How did you die, Newt? I’m not sure I want to know._ Instead, she said, “You don’t always get a happy ending, so you learn to celebrate it when it happens.” She twisted her neck in a fruitless attempt to dislodge the ache.

Invisible hands settled on her shoulders and made her jump. They had weight but not the warmth of a living person. When she didn’t protest, Newt started kneading the tense muscles. Tina relaxed and her eyes slid shut. “That’s nice...Percival gave wonderful massages.”

The motion paused for a moment before continuing, ghostly fingers digging strongly into the tendons of her neck.

_Shit. Why did I say that?_  “I’m sorry; I didn’t think. It’s rude for me to be comparing you to him all the time.” _They’re nothing alike really._

The hands left her shoulders and Newt wrote. “No, it’s fine. I’ve thought about my wife every day for the past seventeen years. I would’ve talked about her if I’d had anyone to talk with.”

Recognizing the invitation for what it was, Tina smiled. “Tell me about her? Just anything.”

The pen hovered over the paper, and then he wrote, “She loved roses — yellow ones. She really wanted us to buy a house someday so she could have her own.”

“Percival appreciated fine wine,” Tina offered in her turn. “He had some time off coming, and we were planning a trip to California wine country next summer. He was really excited about it.”

“I’ve missed being able to drink wine.” Newt drew a comically drunken face on the edge of the paper.

Tina grinned. “Then that’s what we’ll do! When you….come back, we’ll have a glass of wine together.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

One rainy Saturday afternoon Tina had Seraphina and Cassie over for lunch, and the two women chatted while the children played with Percy’s Legos.

“Newt? Who’s Newt?” Seraphina asked, raising an elegant eyebrow. “Tina, you’ve been holding out on me! Why didn’t you say you had a new guy?”

Tina blushed, painfully aware that Newt himself was probably in the room and hearing every word. “He’s not —. I’ve only known him a couple of weeks. He’s just a friend.”

“Uh-huh.” With a wink, Seraphina took pity on her. “Well, whatever he is, I’m happy for you. I think it’s horrible how the FBI has been stringing you along for more than half a year with nothing but, ‘We think Special Agent Graves is deceased, but we’re not sure.’ Leaves you and Percy just running in place.”

“Yeah....” Tina took a disinterested bite of her sandwich. “I just get so tired of waiting, you know?”

Later, she wondered if maybe she had inherited Queenie’s talent for premonition after all.

*****

The Wednesday before Halloween dawned chilly and wet. Percy woke up whiny and snuffling with a cold that not even Newt’s funny drawings could soothe. Seraphina called to say Cassie had it too and offering to bring over some essential oils that “work every time.” Making a mental note to introduce Seraphina and Queenie, Tina politely declined.

“Crap, I’m gonna be late if we don’t leave right now,” Tina muttered, grabbing up her purse and her son with one hand and her car keys and lunch with the other.

“Who’s that, Mommy?”

Tina looked where Percy was pointing out the window and froze. Two men in dark suits were walking up the driveway from where a sleek (government, her brain supplied) car sat at the curb. One man carried a small cardboard box.

“Newt,” Tina said, her voice tight. “Take Percy to his room and keep him there, please.” She set Percy carefully on the floor. “Go with Newt, baby.”

Mercifully, he did as she asked with no questions. Again, she caught the faint silhouette of a tall, thin man before the doorbell rang.

Steeling herself, Tina opened the door.

“Mrs. Graves?”

“Yes.” She felt disconnected as if she was watching the scene from the other side of the room. Only random words and phrases penetrated the numbness.

“....Confirmation of Special Agent Graves’ demise.”

“....Unable to recover his body.”

“....His personal effects.”

“....Sympathy….”

Tina thanked them — or thought she did, took the box and closed the door. She stumbled over to the couch and sank down, clutching the box in her lap.

She caught a whispered, “Tina?” before Newt’s notepad hovered in front of her unblinking eyes. “Are you alright?”

“Queenie….I need Queenie.” Dimly, Tina knew she should be calling the station to let them know she wouldn’t be in and Percival’s elderly parents — surely they knew by now but she should still talk to them.

Sometime later, how much later, Tina wasn’t sure, Queenie’s face swam into view in front of her.

“Teenie?”

Her sister’s cool hands were on Tina face, and she blinked, trying to focus. “How did you know?”

“Newt texted me.” Queenie pressed a cup into Tina’s chilly fingers. “Drink this, honey.”

“Did I know you could do that?” She took a sip and discovered it was tea laced with brandy. She felt Newt’s familiar presence beside her.

“I didn’t know either.”

Wide-eyed, Queenie looked back and forth from Tina to where the notepad lay unused on the coffee table. “You can hear him?”

She took another drink and laughed without humor. “I guess I’m in the right frame of mind.” She set down the cup before she spilled it. “I wish to god I wasn’t.”

And then the tears came, a storm of grief for a man she thought she had already mourned. Through it all Queenie and Newt buttressed her, one on either side. When she was calmer, Queenie brought a wet cloth and wiped her face.

“Jacob has Percy, and he called the police station. They said you can take the rest of the week off.”

Tina sat up and unclenched her hands from around the box. “They...they brought Percival’s things.”

When she lifted the lid, she saw one of Percival’s handkerchiefs with his monogram — PG — in an elaborate black script. Tina lifted it to her nose, but it smelled only of generic laundry detergent. “I used to tease him that these were so old-fashioned. But it suited him, you know?”

Queenie hummed in agreement. “I always thought he had great fashion sense.”

“Unlike me, you mean.” Tina started to laugh and stopped herself, feeling a rush of shame.

“He’d want you to laugh,” Newt said. “I know he would.”

Tina wiped her eyes with the handkerchief. “I guess so.”

She took out Percival’s wallet next. The rich black leather trifold was empty except for photos of her and Percy. Tina slid them from the plastic sleeves for a better look. Percy’s showed him on Christmas morning, nearly hidden in a drift of wrapping paper. He was grinning broadly with a red bow clutched in his chubby fist.

Her own picture had been taken at the same time as the shore photo Newt had destroyed. She stood with the ocean and the rising sun behind her while the breeze blew her long hair across her face. Tina thought that the woman in the picture looked radiantly happy. She reached up and rubbed the ends of her chin-length bob. “He loved my hair long.”

“You can always grow it out again if you want,” Queenie said gently. “Or not — It’s up to you.”

The last two things in the box were Percival’s FBI badge, “I’ll give it to Percy,” and the scorpion cufflinks Tina had gifted Percival with on his last birthday.

“Scorpions for a Scorpio,” Queenie said. “Remember how he rolled his eyes when you said that?”

Tina smiled and turned one of the pins so the emeralds in it caught the light. “But he wore them anyway.” She put the lid back on the box and sighed, suddenly exhausted.

“Why don’t you go lie down?” Queenie said, gathering her into a vanilla-scented hug. “Jacob took Percy out to the playground. We can stay if you want.”

Tina shook her head. “No, you go on. A nap does sound good.”

When Queenie had gone, she stumbled into the bedroom and stripped down to her underwear and an old T-shirt of Percival’s before crawling under the covers. She turned out the light and stared up at the ceiling. “Newt? Would you lie down with me, please?”

She felt the mattress dipping the tiniest bit as Newt settled himself on top of the covers.

“Can I do anything?”

His faint voice held the trace of an accent, Tina realized. “Just talk to me until I fall asleep? It’s so nice to be able to hear your voice.”

It was a nice voice, too, she thought as he began to tell her a myth about swans of all things, a light tenor next to Percival’s more rumbling baritone. Musing on the differences between the two men, Tina drifted off.

She woke muzzy-headed and confused before everything came rushing back.   
  
"Tina?"   
  
She looked over and saw Newt's faint outline sitting up against the headboard. He seemed to have curly hair falling into his eyes.   
  
"I can see you. Kind of."   
  
He waved. "Hello. How're you feeling?"   
  
She sat up and rubbed at her face before squinting at the clock which read 2 p.m. "Shit! Can't believe I slept so long."   
  
"You needed it. Grief makes you tired."   
  
She reached out, but although he was visible, he wasn't solid. "You would know."   
  
He gave a small shrug. "Unfortunately. And I also know a bath will help."   
  
She managed a smile, though she had the feeling it looked more like a grimace. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."   
  
He got up. "Why don't you do that, and I'll put the kettle on? A cup of tea works wonders."   
  
"What is it with you and Queenie and tea?" Tina muttered stumbling into the bathroom.   
  
His voice floated after her. "Why do you have so much of it if you don't like it then?"   
  
She pulled the T-shirt over her head and stepped out of her underwear. "Because Queenie brings it and I've never been able to tell her no."   
  
If he answered, it was lost in the roar of water as she turned on the taps. Reaching for a towel, she saw the Relaxation bath bomb Queenie had given her for her birthday in August. The thing was a big as both her fists together and smelled of roses and a few other things Tina couldn't identify. With a shrug, she tossed it into the hot water and watched as it fizzed and dissolved to perfume the air.   
  
She soaked until the water had cooled, and the tension bled from her muscles. She got carefully to her feet, mindful of the slippery tub, and let the water out before turning on the shower.   
  
Tina closed her eyes against the pummeling spray and washed off the film of oil still clinging to her skin. As she rinsed the soap from her face, she reached out blindly for the shampoo bottle. It wasn’t where she usually left it. Before she could open her eyes and look, she felt it shoved into her hand.

“Tha — _Newt!_ ” She shrieked and dropped the bottle to retreat as far under the spray as she could. “What’re you doing?”

“Sorry, sorry! I was just trying to help! I’ll go.”

When she heard the bathroom door slam shut, Tina peeked around the curtain but found no one, spirit or otherwise. Trying to calm her still racing heart, she finished her shower.

Once she was dressed in leggings and a long top, she went in search of her ghostly companion. She found Newt at the kitchen table with the promised pot of tea at his semi-transparent elbow. Tina frowned as she realized he was less visible than he had been that morning.

“Hey.”

He looked up from where he had been doodling in the margins of the notepad. “Tina, I’m so sorry. I swear I didn’t see anything! I kept my head turned away and —.” His voice was as faint as his appearance.

Tina sat down across from him. “Newt, it’s fine. I’m not angry, honest. You just startled me.” She grinned. “Besides, I bet you got an eyeful once or twice those first few days.”

He ducked his head and she found the gesture curiously endearing. “Not on purpose. I assure you, you have nothing to fear from me now or...after.” He poured her a cup of tea, the cup seemingly suspended in the empty air unless she looked at just the right angle.

She took it — fragrant black tea that Queenie and Jacob sold at the bakery — and added milk and sugar. “Are you scared?”

Newt kept his head down and she had to lean forward to hear his reply. “Worrying means you suffer twice. If it works, then I’ll be glad. If it doesn’t…” He flipped the pen in his slim fingers. “Then maybe I’ll just...go on. That might be nice too,” he said slowly. “It does get lonely.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “Though it’s been much less lonely this past month.”

Tina gave a shaky laugh. “It has for me too. Newt, I just want to say, no matter what happens next week, I’ve enjoyed getting to know you. I hope you’ll be able to stay, but if you don’t….I’ll miss you, very much.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” He shook himself and sat up a little straighter. “Now, drink your tea. I’d like to hear more about Percival if you feel like talking.”

She sipped her tea as she thought and Newt waited patiently. “Yeah, I do. Right after we got the news, family and friends and people he worked with were calling and checking on us, but after a while, it was like everyone forgot. I want Percival to be remembered.” She chuckled. “If you do ‘go on’ you guys will have a lot to talk about.”

Newt laughed. “I’m sure we would. So, how did you two meet?”

Tina leaned back in her chair and began to talk.

*****

The rest of the week passed slowly. Tina spoke with Percival’s parents and started planning a memorial service for the spring. She accepted the treats that Queenie and Jacob brought over and had long talks with Newt. He was still reluctant to say much about himself or his past, but he was a sympathetic listener and he didn’t mind if she cried now and then.

By Saturday, Tina thought she might go stir crazy if she didn’t get some air.

“Oooh...Mommy, look!” Tina dropped the door key in her purse and turned to see what Percy was pointing at. The apartments across the parking lot from theirs were festooned with spider webs, bats, black cats and several carved pumpkins.

Percy was tugging on her hand, and Tina couldn’t blame him. “Wow! That’s pretty neat! We’ll walk over and see it when we get back from the store, okay?”

He pouted, but brightened considerably when Tina said he could pick out a pumpkin to go in front of their door.

When they returned with the trunk full of groceries — and one pumpkin almost as tall as Percy — Tina left him in his car seat with the back door open while she carried the bags inside.

“I’ll start putting everything away,” Newt said, as she thumped the final bag on the counter.

Tina smiled in the direction his voice had come from. “Thanks. There’s a pumpkin too, but it can wait. We’re going to walk over to the neighbor’s for a minute — they’ve gone all out with the Halloween hoopla.”

Newt gave a wistful sigh. “Leta loved Halloween….”

“Hey, just a few more days to go,” Tina said. “And then you can enjoy the day itself. All that candy….”

His laugh was clear and bright. “That’s a good point.”

“Back in a few minutes!” She clattered down the steps, enjoying the clear blue sky and the refreshing breeze. _Feels like we might need to light a fire tonight. I wonder if Percy’s old enough to learn about toasting marshmallows?_

Still in his car seat, the little boy was fidgeting with the straps. “Let me down, Mommy!”

“Alright, Perce. Just hang on a minute.” She set him on his feet beside the car. “Wait for me.”

She turned away to close and lock the door. When she turned back, he was gone.

“Percy?” She darted around the car, heart hammering. _Where is he? I just turned my back for a second._ There! His red jacket appeared from between two cars and he hurried with single-minded focus towards the other side of the parking lot. _How did he get over there so fast?_

She hurried to catch up just as the sound of a revving engine came to her ears. “Percy! Stop!” _I’m not going to make it._ She put on a desperate burst of speed as some part of her mind screamed that it wasn’t going to be enough.

The car, a silver Pontiac, appeared in the curve. “Percy!” Tina felt something in her throat tear as she screamed. And then she was being flung aside, crashing painfully to the pavement, narrowly missing cracking her skull on a truck’s bumper.

She scrambled up frantically and saw Percy in a heap on the other side of the parking lot. “Oh, God! Percy…” He sat up, dazed but seemingly unhurt. She ran to him and gathered him in her arms. “Are you okay?”

“He’s fine, I think. It didn’t touch him.” Newt’s voice was so faint she almost couldn’t make out the words.

Tina was laughing and crying at the same time as she checked Percy over. “Don’t you ever do that again! Newt, I thought you couldn’t leave the apartment?”

She felt the lightest touch on her shoulder. “I didn’t think I could. It hurt - I didn’t know I could still feel anything either. But it was worth it.”

“Thank you, Newt. Thank you so much…..” She clung to Percy, ignoring for the moment his complaints of, “Mommy, you’re squishing me!”

Something that felt very much like a pair of arms embraced them both. ‘It was my pleasure.”


	5. Chapter 5

Queenie and Jacob showed up early on Halloween morning. They were going to take Percy to a festival in the next town over to keep him out of Tina and Newt’s way.

“You weren’t planning on taking him trick-or-treating, were you?” Queenie asked as Jacob wrestled Percy into his coat and knitted hat. 

Tina shook her head. “No, I think it would be too much for him on top of this and….” she hesitated. “Everything else.” 

Queenie shot her a look. “Walk us out to the car,” she suggested, before adding. “Newt, I hope we’ll see you tonight - in the flesh.” 

“I hope so, too,” came the reply.

“Daddy Ghost coming too?” Percy asked, tugging on Tina’s hand.

She knelt in front of him and zipped up his jacket. “Not this time, Sport. But you be sure to bring him back some candy, okay?”  _ Let’s hope he’ll be here to actually eat it.  _

“Okay!” He let Jacob walk him out to the car with no more protests. 

“Newt, I’ll just be a minute.” Tina and Queenie followed them out into the brilliant autumn sunshine. 

Queenie opened the back passenger side door of the car and took out a manila envelope which she gave to Tina. “Here it is. I made copies of the relevant pages, but I also wrote up a summary so you don’t have to read it all unless you want to.” 

Tina took it, frowning at the weight. “How difficult is it? I haven’t done anything complicated in a long time, Queen.” 

“It’s really, really simple, Teenie, I promise.” Queenie looked a little guilty. “Actually, I’ve had that ready for a while.” Tina’s frown deepened and she hurried on. “I just thought Halloween would be the best time to do it, you know? And it did give you two more time to get to know each other.” 

“Yeah.” Tina fidgeted with the envelope’s brass clasps. “He’s not going to come back like something from ‘Night of the Living Dead,’ is he? Or like those people in the waiting room in ‘Beetlejuice’? I don’t even know how he died - I didn’t want to know, but what if -?” 

Queenie hugged her. “It’ll be fine. Everything I read said that ghosts like Newt are really rare - that’s why this isn’t done very often and not many people know about it. When he crosses over - if he crosses over - he’ll be just like he was before he died.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Tina pulled away and tried to stop herself from shaking with nerves. “Would it be because I did something wrong?” 

“Oh no, honey!” Queenie pursed her lips and considered. “It’s like he’s stuck right now like he’s got glue holding him in between here and there. All you’re gonna do is unstick the glue. It’s up to him if he stays or goes.” 

Tina nodded, feeling a little more reassured. “He said he wants to stay.” 

“You care for him, don’t you?” Queenie smiled at Tina’s guilty blush. “And that’s fine. You’re still mourning Percival, and it sounds like Newt really loved his wife from what you told me. You can heal together and just let things happen naturally.” 

“Percy loves him,” Tina said waving at Percy where he sat in his car seat. “And that’s enough for me right now.” 

Queenie beamed. “It’s something to build on. We’d better get going - call me and let me know how it went. We won’t bring Percy home until you say.” 

“Okay. Have fun!” 

She returned to the apartment and found Newt tidying up Percy’s toys in the living room. His form was as solid as she had ever seen it as if he was willing himself closer to life. 

“I got the instructions from Queenie,” she said, opening the envelope and pulling out the stack of paper. 

Newt whirled around as if she’d startled him - for once - and she saw that no matter what he said, he was nervous. “That’s good. So….do we have to wait until midnight or?” 

Tina rolled her eyes. “We didn’t have to wait until today, turns out. That was just Queenie being melodramatic.” She sat down on the couch and held up the papers. “Wanna read it with me?”

Together they poured over the closely typed pages. As Tina read each page, she passed it to Newt. At last, she sat back and rubbed her eyes. I don’t understand any of it.” 

“I thought you were a witch, too,” Newt said, laying down the final sheet.

“Not like Queenie is.” Tina sighed. “It was never anything formal, just our Aunt Esther who was about 80 at the time. I mean, she lived to be 103, but still.” She gritted her teeth in frustration. “Queenie said it was really easy. I don’t understand what that -” she waved a hand the papers, “has to do with any of it.” 

Newt shuffled through the stack again. “Was there anything else in the envelope?” 

Tina turned the envelope upside down and a piece of pink notepaper drifted out. “Here it is.” She held it so Newt could see and read aloud. 

“Tina and Newt,

I’m guessing you've read everything. Wasn’t it fascinating? There was a lot more - all about the theory of matter transfer and everything, but I figured it would bore you…”

“She knows me so well,” Tina muttered. She scanned the page. “Come on, Queenie, get to the point!” 

Newt had been reading ahead. “Here, I think: ‘You just need to say Newt’s name three times. See? Sometimes the movies do get it right!’”

Tina snorted. “She’s got to be joking! Tell me she’s joking! This is serious, and she’s....” 

“Hang on, there’s more on the back.” Newt turned the sheet over and continued reading. “I’m just kidding! Sorry! It really is simple and you won’t even have to light any candles. Tina, you know all these spells. You just need to cast them one after another without a break in between. Once you start, you can’t stop, so make sure you have them down. Good luck and Newt, I can’t wait to meet you in person.” 

Tina took the paper from Newt and studied the list. “Jeez….must be twenty spells here.” 

“ _ Do _ you know them?” Newt sounded anxious and he was fidgeting, rocking slightly back and forth. 

“Yeah, I’ll have to practice a bit, but I can do it. Give me,” she checked the time, “say three hours to run through them and double check my books?” 

He nodded. “Take your time. I’d rather you’d get it right than hurry.”    
*****

In the end, it  _ was  _ simple. The biggest cleared space was the living room - Tina was unsure what state Newt would be in after so long as a ghost. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to walk. 

Newt agreed that he didn’t know either, although he did have a few theories. She stopped him before he got very far. “When we get through with this, you and Queenie can sit down together and write a paper.” 

She doubled checked the list of spells that she’d copied out separately and made sure she remembered them all. The pronunciation bothered her the most, but she’d done all she could. 

Tina raised her wand, took a deep breath, and began. 

As she spoke, Newt’s faint silhouette grew more solid but still colorless. Tina thought wildly that it reminded her of a clear glass being filled with milk. Pushing the humor aside, she went carefully on. 

She almost missed the first hint of color because she was watching his face. It traveled upward, revealing dark brown dress shoes, then khaki slacks cinched with a brown leather belt and a peacock blue short-sleeve polo shirt. 

His skin filled in next. His arms were pale - but not deathly white - and covered with more freckles than Tina thought she could ever count. The flush of life washed up his neck and into his face, painting his features: a wide mouth with thin lips, a straight nose and high, angular cheekbones. His eyes were shut tight. His hair looked dark auburn in the light from the front windows, but Tina thought she saw some blond in it as well. 

As she started the final spell, Newt’s eyes flew open. They were an arresting mix of blue-green and gold, and Tina found she couldn’t look away. 

As she finished speaking, he took one huge, convulsive breath - and collapsed.  

“Oh no, I killed him!” Tina dropped her wand and threw herself to her knees beside the sprawling figure. “Newt? Newt?” She put a hand on his chest and felt his heartbeat, reassuringly strong against her palm. His skin was warm when she touched his cheek. “Newt, are you okay?” 

His lashes flickered and he opened his eyes slowly. His mouth worked, forming words Tina couldn’t make out.

“Let me get you some water!” She nearly dropped the glass in her haste. When she returned to his side, he had managed to sit up, with his back against the front of the couch. He was still breathing heavily and unevenly. “Here you go.” 

He raised his right arm very slowly as if trying to remember how to use his muscles. His hand couldn’t quite close around the glass, so Tina helped him the way she had helped Percy when he was learning to hold a cup. 

Newt drained the glass in several gulps, and Tina refilled it. This time, he was strong enough to hold it on his own. He took a few sips and handed it back to her. He tongue wetted his lips and he spoke in raspy voice but one she could hear perfectly well. “Hullo.” 

“Hi.” Tina set the glass on the side table. “Are you...all you, do you think? Did it work?” 

He blinked and seemed to do an internal scan. “I think so. It just feels so bloody strange to have a body again after so long.” 

“Let’s get you up off the floor for starters.” With Tina supporting most of his weight, they got Newt on his feet where he wobbled like a newborn calf on very long legs and into a chair at the table. 

Tina was seized by unaccustomed nervousness. She’d been around Newt the ghost in somewhat solid form for the past month, but the solid, very much alive man who sat swaying in her kitchen felt like a different person altogether. “Umm, would you like a cup of tea? Now that you can have some, I mean? Oh, we meant to have a glass of wine!” 

He gave her a beaming smile. “That would be brilliant. I’ve missed food, of course, but not having tea has been like an ache. The wine can wait until Percy’s in bed tonight.” 

Relieved to have something to do with her hands, Tina found a tin of Irish Breakfast in the pantry and put the kettle on. “How do you feel?” She asked as she brought out two cups, milk and sugar. 

“Like a man who’s been half asleep for fifteen years and just woke up,” Newt said. “Like I’m Rip Van Winkle or something.” He had her iPhone in his hand and was turning it over in wonder. “When I died, these things still had actual buttons, you know.” 

“I bet it will be a pretty big adjustment,” Tina said. “But you’d have to have seen things with the other tenants, right?” 

He grimaced, looking guilty. “Well, usually I ran everyone off as soon as possible. I was so furious.” 

Tina chuckled ruefully. “I remember!” 

‘No, right after I - died, I was much worse. I couldn’t believe I was still here when all I wanted was to...not be.” 

Tina put four tea bags in the pot and poured the boiling water over them. She carried it to the table and sat down in the chair across from Newt. “Tell me? I didn’t ask before, but I wondered.” 

He nodded, fiddling with his spoon the way she’s seen him do with a pen. “I guess I do owe you an explanation after everything you’ve done for me.

"I was a zoologist - am I still? I don’t know. My wife, her name was Leta, she worked for one of the finance companies at the World Trade Center. She had a long commute into the city but she said it was worth it to live out here. We figured we'd give it a year or two before we tried to have kids, you know?"    
  
Tina sucked in a breath, a terrible certainty filling her.    
  
He didn't look at her as he continued. "When it - when 9/11 happened I was all the way in California at a conference. As soon as I heard, I tried to get a flight back. They'd grounded all the planes so I rented a car, and drove. I didn't stop, didn't sleep, didn't eat, just drove with the radio on listening to the news. I kept calling her - at home and the office even though I knew that was gone, but....nothing."    
  
"Newt...." Tina put a hand on his arm wishing she could say something comforting.    
  
He gave her a sad smile. "I was lucky. They identified her remains two years later, so I had something to bury, to mourn." He sighed. "But it brought back all the pain like it had just happened. I couldn't stand it."    
  
"You killed yourself," she guessed, tears spilling over.    
  
He nodded. "Took a handful of pills. I thought I’d see her again, but instead, I found myself still here. I was so angry. I couldn't stand watching other people live here where we’d been so happy.”    
  
"Are you sorry Percy and I didn't leave?" Tina asked quietly.    
  
Newt looked up at her startled. "Tina, no." He got up and came around the table, crouching down beside her chair. Gently he reached up and cupped her face, wiping away the tears. "I'm so glad you stayed." 

When they were both a little steadier, he poured the out the tea and they sat drinking in companionable silence for a time. 

At last, Tina ventured, “What happens now? Besides calling Queenie and letting her know it worked, I mean?” 

“Well, I’m sure you have more questions,” Newt said with a teasing smile. “I’m surprised you managed to restrain yourself so long.” 

“I was trying to be polite!” Tina bristled. “Despite what Queenie says, I do have some tact. Not much,” she admitted, “but some.” 

Newt laughed and poured himself another cup. “In all fairness, I know I wasn’t very easy to get along with right after we met. I don’t blame you for being cautious. But now that you know I’m not an ax murderer, you can ask what you want.” 

“And you can do the same,” Tina said, feeling herself blush. “But I think you already know more about me than I do about you.” 

“I wouldn’t mind learning anything you want to tell me.” 

They talked for hours about anything and everything that came into their heads.

When Newt admitted he was hungry, Tina asked what he wanted to eat. “Your first meal in fifteen years. That’s a pretty big deal.” 

He thought for a minute. “Shepherd’s pie, I think. It was my favorite thing as a kid and I got the recipe from Mum after Leta and I got married. I used to make it all the time.” 

“Do you remember it?” 

“Oh yes. It’s very easy.” He grabbed the ever-present notepad and jotted down the ingredients. 

“I don’t have some of this,” Tina said. “How do you feel about a trip to the store?” 

The grocery store fascinated Newt. He bounced around, exclaiming over everything and sputtering in outrage over the - to him - sky-high prices. Much later, and with twice as much in their cart as Tina had planned on buying, she convinced Newt to leave, promising that they could come back another day. 

On the way home, they stopped to get Newt some more clothes. “Can we have a bonfire and burn these?” He asked, plucking at his shirt as they waited in line to pay.

“Oh, Percy would love that! It’ll have to be at Queenie and Jacob’s - they’ve got a backyard.” Tina took out her credit card. Newt saw it and frowned. 

When they were back in the car, he said, “I know it’s still there because I kept careful watch. You’ll have to cut the carpet to get to it, but -.” 

“Newt, what’re you talking about?” Tina demanded.

He blinked at her from the passenger seat. “Money. Cash to be exact. There’s a fireproof, flood proof box under a floorboard of the closet in Percy’s room. Leta didn’t trust banks. That’s funny considering her job, but she was always squirreling bills away. I don’t know about inflation, but it should still be a pretty good bit.” 

Tina felt something in her chest unclench. “That’s good. I’ve got Percival’s pension, of course, but….”

“Everything helps,” he finished with perfect understanding.

They made the shepherd’s pie together, laughing and joking and working together as if they always had. As the day went on, Tina felt she had known Newt for years instead of just a month. 

“I guess we should call Queenie and see if they’re back from the festival yet.” She grinned at Newt as she put the remaining utensils in the dishwasher. “Percy’s going to be so excited to see you.” 

“I’ve really loved getting to know him,” New said with a fond smile. “He’s a great kid.” 

When Queenie got Tina’s text, she and Jacob came right over. As they introduced themselves properly to Newt — Queenie gave him a big hug straight away — Tina unbuckled Percy from his car seat. 

“Perce, there’s someone here who wants to say hi,” she said when he buried his face in her shoulder, as he sometimes did around new people. She carried him over to the others, and Newt waved, staying back and hunching a bit to look unthreatening.

“Hullo, Percy.” 

At the sound of Newt’s familiar voice, Percy’s eyes opened wide and he reached out a hand. “Daddy Ghost!” 

“That’s right!” Tina let Newt take Percy and watched as the little boy put his arms around Newt’s neck. For his part, Newt didn’t bother to hide his tears.

Jacob and Queenie exchanged a look. “I think we’ll leave you three to enjoy your evening,” Jacob said, reaching back into the car for a small bag which he passed to Tina. “Percy’s candy haul.” 

Tina peeked in. “Ooooh…..Reeses….” 

Newt raised his wet face from Percy’s hair. “Don’t tell me there’s new candy I haven’t heard of yet?” he groaned in mock dismay. 

“They had Reeses fifteen years ago,” Tina shot back making all of them laugh. 

“So are we going trick-or-treating?” Newt asked as they walked back to the apartment. Percy refused to be put down. 

Tina unwrapped a peanut butter cup, frowning. “I hadn’t planned to. He’s just three after all. I know Seraphina wants to take Cassie just around the complex, but….” She stopped at the expression of longing on Newt’s face. “You want to take him?” 

Newt nodded. “Yeah, don’t you think it would be fun?” 

“I don’t have a costume for him,” Tina said. 

He grinned, looking like a mischievous boy himself. “I’ve got an idea about that. Come on Percy, let’s get our costumes ready!” 

“Okay!” Percy said, clearly ready for any adventure Newt might dream up. 

“We’ll just be a few minutes.” Newt carried Percy out of the living room looking excited. 

Shaking her head in fond exasperation, Tina called Seraphina and told her about the change of plans. “Newt’s here and he wants to come, so you’ll get to meet him.’ 

“Oh, good! I’ve been wondering when he would put on an appearance. Why don’t we meet you in front of the leasing office in half an hour? There are few more people with kids, so it’ll be fun.” 

“Sounds great!” Tina ended the call and listened to the muffled giggles that seemed to be coming from the bathroom of all places. 

“If you guys have gotten into my makeup….” 

“Mommy!” 

Tina turned around and froze. Standing in the doorway were two “ghosts” both wearing jeans and sneakers, one tall and one small, covered by floral sheets with holes to look through.

“Well?” came Newt’s voice from the taller ghost. “I thought it was appropriate under the circumstances.” 

Tina sat down on the sofa and laughed until she cried. 

*****

**Six months later**

“So what’d you think?” Newt asked as they stepped out into the backyard.

“It’s perfect!” Tina looked out over the wide, green lawn with plenty of room for a swing set and a kiddie pool. “And it even has rose bushes.”

Newt leaned over and picked one of the yellow flowers, presenting it to her with a smile. “And plenty of room for more, plus space in the basement for a few bottles of wine. I’d say the house is a bit big right now, but….” 

Tina gave a contented smile. “We’ll need the room eventually.” 

“I’d say that’s a given,” he agreed, leaning down to kiss her. When they parted, he put an arm around her waist. “Are you happy, love?” 

She leaned against him as they watched a robin under a nearby tree. “Very. I have you and Percy. We’re getting married in two weeks and Queenie’s planning everything, we’re buying a house. I think I have everything I could ever want.” 

He kissed her again. “So do I.”


End file.
